Due to the distance involved, flights from Europe will make a refuelling stop enroute to Australia. Primary transit points include Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Hong Kong. Other connecting points include Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Hanoi or Tokyo while holiday routings may include stopovers with direct inbound service to Australia from Phuket or Bali.
Major full-service airlines serving Australia from Europe include Qantas, V-Australia, Singapore Air, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, and Virgin Atlantic. Others with service to Australia from Europe include Asiana, Japan Airlines, Malaysia, Air France and Air Austral. Budget carriers connecting from stopover gateways include Jetstar, Tiger Airways, and Asia Airways.
Arrival cities in Australia include Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Darwin and Cairns. In Adelaide, Melbourne and Darwin, the international arrivals hall is co-located in the same terminal building with domestic departures, whereas Sydney, Perth and Brisbane have the international and domestic terminals in separate buildings with frequent ground transit between the two.
While the number of potential combinations of routings from Europe to Australia is substantial, perhaps the most popular would include flying Qantas from London via Dubai to Sydney, or Emirates from many European airports connecting in Dubai and onward to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane or Perth. Likewise Etihad from across Europe to Australia via Abu Dhabi and with connecting service on their own aircraft or via partner Virgin Australia, British Airways via Bangkok or Singapore to Sydney or Melbourne, or Singapore Air from ten major European cities via Singapore to all of Australia’s capital cities.
Depending on your starting location, your preferred airline international alliance partners (such as OneWorld or StarAlliance) and whether you are seeking minimal travel time or will be making a holiday stop enroute, there will be a wide array of combinations of carriers and routings that will make the trip to Australia an enjoyable journey. Travel time from London to Sydney is typically around 22 hours, and many airlines offer attractive package plans for a one-night stopover in their main transit hub city.